lindy graham said a few minutes ago they cannot in good conscience support a strike not parton of an overallstrategy that can change the battlefield. >> in the meantime, the assad state-controlled media is declaring nothing but victory is aing the united states will never strike. leland vittert has the late effort. what's the reaction been to obama's speech? >> reporter: stunned would probably be putting it lightly, greg. there is a feeling president assad, the syrians, for that matter, the iranians were eye-to-eye with president obama and the president is the one who blinked. syrian state tv declared victory. they had people partying in the streets of damascus. one woman said, well, if you want people who are afraid, go to israel. that's where they're lining up for gas masks. shortly later, the deputy prime minister of syria went on a pan-arab network and said, "the americans have lost the battle before it even started." he then continued saying that the american administration had made "a joke of itself." remember, that the syrians for the past couple of days have been talking abou